L to R-Hong Kong’s Joao Ganon and Argentina’s Marianito Obregon battle for control of the ball in semifinal action.

An international contingent competing as Hong Kong (Dirk Gould, Joao Ganon, John Paul Clarkin and John Fisher) rode out to a 7-5 halftime lead and then fought off a second half Argentine (Martin Pepa, Marianito Obregon, Michel Dorignac and Martin Donovan) rally to register a 10-9 win in Wednesday’s semifinal of the 2013 Fortune Heights Super Nations Cup at China’s Tianjin Goldin Metropolitan Polo Club.

Brazilian 7-goaler Joao Ganon scored the first goal of the game for Hong Kong as they raced out to an early 4-2 lead in the second semifinal of the prestigious 24-goal tournament.  Ganon would add another first chukker goal with teammates Dirk Gould and John-Paul Clarkin adding single goals for the cause.  Marianito Obregon scored both of Argentina’s first period goals.

Ganon and Obregon each added a pair of goals in the second chukker.  Clarkin scored a third goal for Hong Kong as they stretched their lead to three goals, 7-4.

Both defenses stepped it up in the third, allowing Argentina’s Martin Donovan the only goal of the chukker.  Hong Kong continued to lead, but Argentina had cut the advantage down to two goals, 7-5, to end the first half of play.

Both teams bolstered up their defenses again in the fourth chukker.  Despite runs up and down the field, no goals were scored.  The 7-5 lead remained with Hong Kong with two chukkers left in regulation play.

John Fisher’s first goal of the game pushed the Hong Kong lead back up to three goals, 8-5, before the Argentine rally.  Three consecutive goals (two from Obregon and one from Dorignac) went unanswered to end the chukker in an 8-8 deadlock.

Ganon scored the go-ahead goal in the opening seconds of the sixth chukker for a 9-8 Hong Kong lead.  Argentine continued to press the attack, and halfway through the chukker Obregon tied it at 9-9.  The two teams battled back and forth for most of the balance of the chukker when Ganon drove the ball through the Argentine goalposts for the 10-9 Hong Kong win.

Ganon was credited with a team-leading six goals.  Clarkin scored twice and Gould and Fisher each added a goal.  Obregon’s seven goals led all scoring.  Dorignac and Donovan each scored once in a losing effort.

Following a tournament “Rest Day”, action will resume on Friday, October 4^th with the United States (Tommy Collingwood, Nic Roldan, Mike Azzaro and Ulysses Escapite) playing Argentina for third place.  On Saturday, October 5^th Hong Kong will meet England (Henry Fisher, Mark Tomlinson, Luke Tomlinson and Nacho Gonzalez).